WASHINGTON – Inland Rep. Darrell Issa on Tuesday fired press
secretary and close adviser Kurt Bardella, who was found to have
shared e-mails from reporters with a New York Times writer working
on a book about Washington politics.

“Though limited, these actions were highly inappropriate, a
basic breach of trust with the reporters it was his job to assist,
and inconsistent with established communications office policies,”
Issa, R-Vista, said in a written statement. “As a consequence, his
employment has been terminated.”

Issa said Bardella had been granted permission in November to
help journalist Mark Leibovich, but his supervisors were unaware
that he was sharing e-mails from reporters.

Bardella had emerged in recent years as one of Washington’s most
aggressive press secretaries; he was named in 2009 as one of “50
Politicos to Watch,” by Politico, the same Washington-based
politics journal that first reported Bardella’s alleged e-mail
leaks.

When Issa took over the powerful chairmanship of the House
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform earlier this year,
Bardella became a key mouthpiece for the panel charged with
uncovering government waste and misconduct.

The most visible member of the committee’s team of
communications specialists, Bardella was behind a relentless
onslaught of news releases and policy statements on behalf of
Issa.

In an interview in his office last week, Bardella described
himself as part of Issa’s inner circle, a small subset of the
lawmaker’s 80-person staff that meets routinely to discuss the
committee’s work and overall direction. He said he often spoke with
Issa as early as 6:30 a.m. Whether at congressional hearings or
black tie Washington galas, Bardella was frequently at Issa’s
side.

Bardella, who grew up in San Diego and previously worked for
Rep. Brian Bilbray, R-Solana Beach, said he began following Issa
and grew to admire him when the wealthy lawmaker helped bankroll
the 2003 recall of then-Gov. Gray Davis.

As Issa’s press secretary, Bardella was tasked with taking
interview requests from reporters. Despite the increased demand for
Issa’s time that came with the committee chairmanship, Bardella
said he strove to treat the requests equal, regardless the size of
the news operation.

After speaking with both Bardella and Leibovich, Issa said he
was told that Bardella’s involvement in the book project was aimed
at helping portray the work of a Capitol Hill press secretary and
was not about leaking salacious or embarrassing details from his
correspondence with reporters.

But Issa’s investigation into Bardella’s actions is not
complete.

“I intend to finish our review and rebuild any broken trust with
the journalists who cover the important work of our committee,”
said Issa, whose district includes Temecula, Perris, Lake Elsinore
and part of San Diego County.